Powered by bio-retinol, ceramides, and botanical actives, Avalon Rose Botanicals is an extraordinary brand that crafts effective formulas to work with all types of skin. Our exclusive interview with founder Gina Lily delves into her background, her products, and more.
Thank you for joining us. Please tell us about yourself.
I’m Gina-Lily Cooper, the founder and formulator behind Avalon Rose Botanicals, based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. My love for plants goes back to childhood. I grew up on the West Coast, a property on Salt Spring Island where I was surrounded by arbutus trees and the sweet scent of salal berries was heavy in the summer air. My days were spent tunnelling through underbrush, foraging seeds, and pressing flowers between the pages of books. Those early experiences gave me a deep respect for nature that has never left me. No matter how bogged down by the chaos of digital modernity life gets, that pristine magic of nature is always there to ground me.
You have an interesting story about your brand. What was the motivation to start Avalon Rose Botanicals?
It is an interesting story, mostly because I wasn’t setting out to start a business at all… My background has always been creative, floristry, photography, and design. I’ve always loved working with botanicals, but I was never someone who obsessed over skincare routines. As someone with ADHD, I don’t have the patience for twelve steps a day. I tend to dive deep into things that interest me, learn as much as I can, and then distill it down. For skincare, though, I couldn’t find products that pulled all that knowledge together in a way that felt clear and trustworthy.
That became a very real problem when my twins were born six weeks early. My daughter had extremely reactive, eczema-prone skin. She was just over three pounds at birth, and her skin would erupt in angry red patches, no matter how “gentle” or “sensitive” the store-bought creams claimed to be. It was heartbreaking, and frankly, infuriating. I bought every eczema and baby cream I could find, and one after another, they caused flare-ups. When I started reading labels more closely, I noticed that even the ones that followed regulations often hid behind the catch-all words like fragrance or parfum. That one loophole meant companies didn’t have to disclose exactly what was in their products. Time and again, I’d realize the products making her break out contained fragrance. But without knowing what chemical the trigger was, I was left helpless.
I stripped everything back. I decided to start simple and create something myself. The first product I ever made was a moisturizing balm to soothe her skin. I leaned on ingredients with long histories of medicinal use, calendula, arnica, frankincense, and shea. Plants people had trusted for generations and combined that knowledge with modern formulation practices. One of the earliest products that came out of that process was Gardener’s Salvation Repair Balm, which focused on anti-inflammation properties and barrier support, the two things her skin desperately needed. It worked, and for the first time, we had a system that kept my daughter’s eczema manageable without resorting to steroid creams or bleach baths, which had been suggested at one point.
From there, things grew naturally. As a mom of twins approaching forty, I started to notice my own skin changing too with fatigue, dark circles, and fine lines. I began researching what I would want in a skincare product for myself. Again, I couldn’t find skincare that combined hydration, nourishment, and barrier support in the way I envisioned. So, I created it. Over time, friends and family began asking for my formulas, and when I started bringing them to local markets, I discovered I wasn’t the only one with these concerns. That response showed me there was a real need for what I was making. What began as a necessity became a passion, and eventually, the beginnings of Avalon Rose Botanicals.
What sets your line apart from other skincare brands?
One of the biggest things is that we don’t make traditional oil-and-water creams. In many moisturizers, a good portion of the formula is taken up by fillers, emulsifiers, and stabilizers that don’t necessarily benefit the skin. Our serums are different. They’re incredibly active, 98%-100% of the content is made up of ingredients chosen specifically for their skin benefits. The Lumina Hydration Serum is a water-based serum that delivers hydration and small-molecule actives deep into the skin, while Lumina Bio-Retinol Serum is an oil-based treatment focused on nourishing and reinforcing the skin barrier. When you keep those functions distinct, you get better absorption and more meaningful results.
We’re also intentionally boutique. I’m not interested in releasing a flood of new products just to boost sales each quarter. A lot of thought goes into how products fit into real life. For me, every formula has to earn its place in the collection. I’d rather stay true to a minimalist approach. Products that are purposeful, effective, and meet you where you are than to overwhelm people with dozens of unnecessary steps. That’s why we package in recyclable glass and offer refill options. I want the products to be sustainable, functional, and beautiful enough to live on your counter where they’ll remind you to use them.
At the heart of it all, Avalon Rose is about plant actives that perform. The formulas are results-driven but gentle enough for sensitive skin, and they’re made with integrity. Small batches, no fillers, and no unnecessary steps. While a lot of the industry leans into trends, we focus on efficacy, sustainability, and long-term skin health.
Who is your target customer?
Our community is made up of women who want clean, effective skincare without compromise. They’re usually between 25 and 65, balancing busy lives and looking for products that simplify their routines while still delivering visible results. At the heart of our community are people who want products that are gentle, effective, sustainable, and trustworthy. Skincare that meets them where they are and evolves with their needs.
What is the significance of your brand’s name?
The name Avalon Rose Botanicals is deeply personal to me. Avalon is my daughter’s name, and she was the spark for this entire journey when I was searching for something safe and effective for her eczema-prone skin. Her name also carries mythic weight. Avalon is known as an island of healing and restoration in Arthurian legend, which feels like such a beautiful parallel to what I hope my products offer. Rose is part of my sister’s name, and of course my own name is Gina-Lily, so you can see how flowers and botanicals have always been woven through my family story. The rose itself is a symbol of timeless beauty and strength, but also of resilience and healing.
Bringing Avalon and Rose together was a way of honoring both family and nature, while grounding the brand in legacy and connection. The name isn’t just a label on a bottle. It’s a reminder of where this brand began, the values it stands for, and the link between family, beauty, and the healing power of plants. Something that I hope will live on as a legacy for my daughter as well.
Your Lumina Revitalize Value Bundle is quite popular. Could you please tell us about these products and why consumers love them so much?
The Lumina Revitalize Value Bundle is one of our most-loved sets because it brings together three powerhouse elements: our Hydration Serum, Antiox CF, and the Reflexology Facial Massage Wand. Together, they create a routine that’s simple, concentrated, and transformative.
The Hydration Serum is built around hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and peptides, all designed to deliver deep hydration and to nourish the skin deep down. It’s packed with actives and no unnecessary fillers so every drop is purposeful. Customers notice that it plumps, smooths, and gives their skin an immediate glow while improving resilience over time.
Antiox CF is a little different from most vitamin C products. It’s a powdered blend of vitamin C and ferulic acid, that you mix fresh with the Hydration Serum in your palm before applying. Because it’s not premixed, it stays shelf-stable and potent far longer than conventional vitamin C serums, which often oxidize quickly. Customers love that they can customize the amount—starting small if their skin is sensitive or increasing as their skin gets stronger. It’s affordable, effective, and flexible in a way premixed serums aren’t.
The third piece, the Reflexology Facial Massage Wand, elevates the whole experience. It doubles as a cosmetic scoop for hygienic application, but its true magic is in the ritual of massage. It helps relieve facial tension, improves circulation and lymphatic drainage, and enhances absorption of the serums. Customers often say it makes the routine feel more like a self-care practice.
What sets this bundle apart is the philosophy behind it: highly concentrated formulas, designed with a boutique approach, packaged sustainably in glass, and created for real life. It’s skincare that adapts to you, that doesn’t waste actives, and that feels indulgent while staying practical and eco-conscious. The result is radiant, plump, and glowing skin that people not only see in the mirror, but that friends and family often notice too.
Working in the beauty industry for so many years do you have any top tips you could share with us?
The biggest tip I can share is to keep it simple and consistent. You don’t need a shelf full of products to have healthy skin.You need a few that truly work for you. Pay attention to hydration, support your skin barrier, and use antioxidants to protect against environmental stressors. Beyond that, lifestyle matters too: sleep, stress, and nutrition all show up on your skin.
I also think it helps to reframe how we see skincare. It doesn’t have to be about perfection or chasing an ideal. Instead, think of it as a practice like yoga or meditation. Something you do to reconnect with yourself. Even taking a minute to apply a serum can be a reminder that you matter, a chance to make eye contact with yourself and check in. When skincare is framed as a ritual of care rather than another task on the to-do list, it becomes more sustainable and more enjoyable.
Finally, don’t be afraid of imperfection. Your skin will change as it goes through cycles just like the rest of you. Listening to what it needs in each season of your life is more important than following rigid rules. At the end of the day, the best skincare routine is the one you’ll actually do, and the one that helps you feel alive, nourished, and connected to yourself.
Anything else we should know?
Avalon Rose Botanicals is more than just skincare, it’s about trust, craftsmanship, and sustainability. Every product is handcrafted in very small batches in my studio in Kelowna, British Columbia, and our customers know that what they’re putting on their skin is safe, effective, and kind to the planet. My goal is to create skincare you can feel proud to use that is luxurious, plant-powered, and proven to make a difference.
We have a full line of skincare, body care, and aromatherapy products, and we’ll soon be launching a masculine skincare collection called Wolf Poet, which I’m really excited about. If you’d like to keep up with what’s new, you can sign up for our mailing list on the website. That’s where I share special sales, market announcements, and new product launches. On the site you’ll also find resources like our step-by-step skincare how-to guide, which takes the guesswork out of building a routine, and our ingredient glossary, which breaks down the function and benefits of the botanicals we use. Transparency and education are important to me, so I want customers to feel informed as well as inspired.
Experience the magic of this revolutionary brand at https://avalonrosebotanicals.ca/
